That Special Garment
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: In the midst of their busy careers and raising two children, Jed and Abbey set aside time for themselves. Bartlet History 22.


Author's Note: After a long hiatus, Bartlet History has returned! The last few have been pretty heavy, so I tried really hard to make this one happy and nice. Enjoy, and please review :)

 **That Special Garment**

"Would someone answer the phone!?" Abbey shouted, her mouth full of toast as she tried to quickly put on a little mascara and run a brush though her hair. She took a swig of coffee and nearly choked as it burned her tongue. "SOMEONE ANSWER THE PHONE!" she bellowed.

Jed could hear his wife's loud voice from outside. He rushed into the kitchen through the back door, skidding across the wood floors with the remnants of snow on his shoes. "Elizabeth!" he barked.

"Dad, I'm finishing my homework!" the eleven-year-old answered. "You made Ellie upset!" Liz added, pointing her pencil to the corner of the kitchen.

Jed saw his younger daughter silently crying against the cabinets, her green eyes wide with tears staining her pink cheeks. "Why the hell is Mrs. Wilburforce on vacation?" he muttered to himself as he scooped Ellie into his arms on his way to answer the phone. "Hello?" he said aggressively into the phone. "Yeah, Tim, I'll be in the office later today. Could we talk about this then? Our housekeeper is away and Abbey and I have our hands full here. She's on her way to work, and I've got to get the girls to school." He hung up on his campaign manager before Tim could even respond.

"Dad, what's eighteen times fourteen?"

"Two hundred fifty-two," Abbey replied, rushing down the stairs with her breakfast dishes. "Lizzie, didn't you tell me you finished your homework last night?"

"I forgot," she replied simply. "Daddy came home and we played with the new calf!"

Abbey decided not to fight this particular battle today. "Finish it up, baby doll. You're going to be late for school."

Meanwhile, Jed was trying to calm Ellie. She was easily stressed by chaos in the house, but she never made a fuss about it. It was almost more distressing for Jed and Abbey to find her quietly crying somewhere, feeling like they'd forgotten or ignored her, than if she threw tantrums like Liz used to. He murmured to her softly, "Calm down, jellybean. We're just running late. Everything is okay."

Ellie took a few deep breaths and buried her face in her father's neck, clinging to him tightly.

"Ell?"

At the sound of her mother's voice directed at her, Ellie's head shot up and she began to reach desperately for Abbey. Jed begrudgingly handed the five-year-old to his wife, not the least bit surprised at this turn of events.

"Jed, you get Liz's homework finished and cleaned up while I get Ellie ready for school," Abbey suggested, stroking her daughter's blonde curls.

"Aren't you going to be late?"

Abbey shrugged. "Clearly I can't leave you alone with all of this."

Jed looked to Liz, focused on her math problems, before he gestured for Abbey to take Ellie and follow him to the foyer. Once they were out of the kitchen, Jed made Abbey put Ellie down. "Eleanor, can you help your mom and me out by going upstairs and getting all ready for school?"

Feeling like she was being trusted to be a big girl, Ellie smiled and nodded before running up to her room to get ready for the day.

For the first time since they got out of bed, Jed and Abbey had a quiet moment alone. Jed smiled at her. "Hey, I remember you."

Abbey grinned as she put her arms around his neck, snuggling into the way his hands grasped her waist. "Hi there."

"You gotta get to the airport, honey," Jed said quietly, not relishing the idea of letting her go.

"Do I really?" she whined.

"Abigail, you know Millie pulled some strings to get you that fellowship at Columbia Presbyterian. How else are you going to learn all the ins and outs of internal medicine? Though I still don't understand that terminology. Isn't most medicine internal?"

Abbey rolled her eyes. "My flight boards in forty minutes. The girls have to be at school in half an hour. And I'm sure Tim wants to yell at you about six different things. And aren't there still exams sitting on your desk that need grading?"

"Yeah, we're busy. I get it." He gave he a quick peck and paused. "I'll see you tomorrow, doc." He kissed her once more, this time softer and more lingering.

Abbey hummed against his lips. "Let me say goodbye to the girls. I'll be home for dinner tomorrow. Love you!" she added as she dashed off.

Eventually, Jed was able to see his wife off to her long hospital shift and get his daughters ready for school. He dropped them off about a minute before the bell rang. And at last, all was quiet. Jed decided to take the long way to the campaign office, allowing his mind to wander.

The last two years had been a whirlwind. He and Abbey had gone through their hellish tragedy alone, but they'd survived. And they were better than ever. Jed had done quite well, in his opinion, in his new part-time position in the state legislature. His classes were well-regarded at Dartmouth. Liz and Ellie were doing wonderfully, both excelling in school and growing into kind, lovely young girls. Abbey had overcome her depression as well as could be expected. They hadn't brought up the subject of having more children in quite some time. But it was implied in many decisions they'd made. Jed was running for reelection to the state house. And Abbey, in an unorthodox decision, had chosen to go for a second Board specialty. Most doctors start with something general and specialize from there. Not Abbey Bartlet. She was a highly skilled thoracic surgeon and after a year at Harvard following her Board Certification, she decided to branch outward, taking a fellowship in internal medicine at the hospital where her best friend had been working for the last few years. And even though Abbey didn't say it, Jed knew she decided to nearly start over her career as a way of distracting from the trauma of her miscarriage. He supported her, of course, but having her in New York for half the week was hard. But she had Millie to stay with when she was there, and that was good for the both of them. Still, there clearly wouldn't be a new Bartlet in the mix for quite some time.

As Abbey sat on the commuter flight from Manchester to La Guardia, she smiled to herself. She'd be picking up her indulgent purchase today. Valentine's Day was only a few days away. It had been so long since she and Jed had gotten some alone time to themselves. They didn't have the time—or the energy, frankly—to romance each other in quite a while. And she missed it. She missed being his lover. As much as she enjoyed being a doctor and a mother and a wife, she and Jed had always had something so special and powerful between them. And they both knew from experience that their relationship needed tending to in order to keep that special spark. It was definitely time for some tending.

Abbey got in the cab with a clear plan in mind. She'd check in at the hospital and go on the afternoon rounds, and she'd pick up her purchase during her dinner break, just before the store closed.

She smirked to herself. How Millie had convinced her to go into a lingerie store was beyond her. Though it didn't really take much convincing. Abbey liked to feel sexy, not that Jed ever made her feel otherwise. But those times when she made the extra effort…the look in his eyes made her weak in the knees. And this item in particular was sure to blow his mind. Even so, going out in public to buy such things gave her pause. But it would all be worth it.

As soon as she walked into the hospital, chaos greeted her coldly. Before she even changed into her scrubs, she was being shouted at by three different doctors to scrub up; apparently there had been a three-car pileup and they needed all the surgeons they could get. Abbey was there for general internal medicine, but being a trained heart surgeon meant she was pulled into anything they could use her for.

Everything else fell away as Abbey quickly changed and scrubbed for surgery. She had lives to save. This was all that mattered right now.

But by the time she got out of surgery, it was nearly midnight. Ten hours in surgery. All the stores were closed. Abbey wasn't too worried, however, as she rode in the cab to Millie's Upper West Side apartment. She could go by the store on the way to the airport. Her flight didn't leave until two.

Back in New Hampshire, Jed was burning the midnight oil to grade his macroeconomics class exams. Between campaign work and taking care of the girls and commuting back and forth to Hanover for classes, he had very little time to actually work on things. And with Abbey gone, he knew he needed to use every second he could find. When she was home, he preferred to spend as much time as he could with her. He'd never say so, but he missed her when she was in New York. He hated that she was so far away half the time.

Midway through the grading, he felt his attention slipping. He couldn't read one more essay tonight. No, he was too distracted. He put the exams away for the night and stretched, not liking the sounds of creaking and cracking joints. Jed flipped through his appointment book and noticed that Valentine's Day was only a few days away. He clearly hadn't been paying attention to the calendar in a while. Then and there, he decided to plan something for his wife. She deserved it. _They_ deserved it.

In the end, Jed only got about four hours of sleep that night. But it was worth needing an extra cup of coffee in the morning because he'd gotten it all planned out. He had until dinnertime, when Abbey got home, to make all the arrangements. He had to go teach today, but he could make calls from Dartmouth if he needed to.

Just as he was ready to dash out the door to take the girls to school, the phone rang. Thinking it might be Abbey calling about something, he rushed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Bad news, Jed."

"Tim, can't this wait?"

"I'm afraid not. We got a letter in the office this morning, calling for your resignation."

"What!? Why?!"

Tim sighed strangely, almost like a growl. "According to this concerned citizen, your children are being neglected by their parents. And if a man can't take care of his family, he isn't fit to govern the state."

"I don't govern the state. I'm a part-time legislator," Jed pointed out.

"Yes, well, that fact seems to be a little fuzzy to this person, who signed the letter anonymously, promising to tell all their friends and neighbors about how your girls are sent to school with ratty hair and no lunch."

Jed turned to see his daughters waiting for him in the doorway. Liz's shiny brown hair was pulled back into pigtails that Jed himself had brushed and tied with bows for her. Ellie's curls were a bit messy, but she was five and had frizzy hair, so that wasn't really anyone's fault. And he knew they weren't sent to school with packed lunches because the school gave hot lunches to any child that needed it. Making lunch for the girls was a little too much to handle during these busy times, and both Liz and Ellie knew to get school lunches.

He returned to his phone call, trying not to shake with rage. "Well that's just ridiculous and untrue. My girls are exemplary and they are neither abused nor neglected. Do whatever damage control you can, Tim. I'm teaching today, so I'll call and check in when I can. Come up with a plan and we'll go from there." He hung up the phone and quickly shepherded the girls into the car.

Once they were on their way to school, Jed brought up this strange turn of events to his daughters. "What did you two have for lunch yesterday?" he asked casually.

"Yesterday was meatloaf day. With potatoes. It was okay. Mom's is better. And today is macaroni and cheese!" Liz told him.

"Ellie, did you like the meatloaf yesterday?" he asked.

"I didn't have the meatloaf," she replied in a mumbling voice.

"Eleanor, you have to speak up. No one can hear you like that."

"She said she didn't have the meatloaf," Liz said, standing up for her little sister.

"Why not?" Jed asked.

Ellie turned to Liz and whispered in her ear in the backseat. Liz nodded and shared, "She says she gave her meatloaf to Jimmy Applewood because kids are only allowed to get one lunch from school, but Jimmy doesn't get breakfast so he's always really hungry, so Ellie gives him her lunch sometimes."

Jed frowned. "Why doesn't Jimmy get breakfast?"

"His mommy works at night and gets home really early and sleeps, so Jimmy walks to school before she wakes up," Ellie answered, her voice still quiet and tentative, unsure if she would get in trouble.

"Ellie, that's a very nice thing that you're doing. It's important to remember that not everyone's moms and dads can make them breakfast every day like Mom and I do for you two. But maybe instead of giving Jimmy your whole lunch, you just share with him. You need to eat too, Ell."

"I'll make sure she eats, Dad," Liz offered.

"Thank you, Lizzie." Jed made a mental note to call the school as soon as he got a chance and inform them of the problem. He'd also clear up the issue with Tim, explaining why his daughter didn't have lunch sometimes. And, perhaps, he could talk with his former colleagues on the State Board of Education to find a way to institute an early breakfast program for kids like Jimmy who didn't get food before school.

On the way to Hanover, Jed daydreamed about his plans for Valentine's Day. He'd take the girls to stay with Mrs. Landingham and greet Abbey with a room full of red roses. He'd hire a chef and a violinist. And he'd go to the jewelry store when he got back to Manchester and find something incredible for her. She looked so beautiful adorned with jewels. The diamonds seemed to shine a little bit brighter on her, especially when that was all she was wearing. He smiled to himself, getting lost in the anticipation of the wonderful night they were sure to have.

Abbey took a short pause in her hectic morning to have a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. She was doing her best to clear her mind and not focus on all the myriad of things she had to worry about; which patients needed seeing, which tests she had to order, which medications needed to be changed, which discharges she had to check on.

"You get in after I'm asleep and you're gone before I wake up. If it weren't for the re-made guest bed, I wouldn't believe you'd actually come home last night."

Abbey looked up to see Millie coming to sit beside her. The blonde was smiling as she joined her friend. Abbey matched her expression. "Those surgeries were insane! I didn't even get a dinner break. And since I was called into cardiac surgery yesterday, I had to check on all my regular patients today. And I need to leave for the airport pretty soon," Abbey replied.

Millie's eyes sparkled. "Don't you have to pick up your…special garment?" she asked suggestively.

Abbey laughed, "Yes, I'm going to head to the store from here and grab a cab from there."

"You never did tell me which one you got."

"Well, since it isn't for you, I didn't think it was relevant."

"Jed is going to fall to your feet in worship," Millie predicted.

"That's the plan!"

"Oh, so you did get the red one."

Abbey smirked. "It is Valentine's Day, after all."

The two women changed the subject, chatting inanely about hospital gossip as they finished their coffee. It was so nice to unwind in the midst of a busy day with pointless and mundane conversation.

Unfortunately, Abbey never did make it back to the lingerie store. She was detained by a patient who had about a hundred questions for Dr. Bartlet about gallstones. By the time Mrs. Markowitz was satisfied, Abbey had to rush through the rest of her checkups. She got into the cab still in her scrubs, her clothes stuffed into her purse. Hopefully she'd have a chance to change at the airport before her flight left. But there was no way she'd be missing that flight. She needed to get home to her family. She'd only been gone for a day and a half, but she always missed them terribly.

"Mommy!"

Abbey was greeted by the most wonderful sound in the world. She pulled up the long driveway back at the farm to find Ellie racing through the snow toward her. The little girl launched herself at her mother as soon as she got out of the car.

"Eleanor, why are you out in the cold without boots or a coat or a scarf?" Abbey asked with concern.

"I got excited to see you, Mommy. I missed you," Ellie replied.

"I missed you too, sweet girl. What happened while I was gone?"

Ellie sighed melodramatically, causing Abbey to suppress a laugh. "Mommy, Lizzie has the flu and Daddy is in a bad mood."

Abbey frowned. "Oh dear. Let's go back inside and see what's going on."

As soon as they got inside and closed the creaking front door behind them, Jed appeared in the foyer. "Ellie, you can't run outside by yourself like that!" he scolded.

"Mommy's home!" Ellie announced.

"Thank god," he muttered, kissing his wife on the cheek. "How was work, doc?"

"Absolute insanity. I had a twelve-hour surgery yesterday and a whole slew of patients to see this morning. But it sounds like you had an exciting couple of days, too."

"When I picked up the girls from school, Liz said she felt cold and sleepy. She's got a fever, and she was up half the night throwing up," Jed told her.

Abbey immediately went into mom-mode. She put her purse down and jogged upstairs to see her daughter. She opened the door to Elizabeth's room to find her daughter curled up in bed with the lights out. "How ya feelin', baby doll?" she asked softly.

"Mommy," Liz moaned, "Mommy, will you sing to me?"

"Of course. Which song do you want?"

"The plane song."

Abbey smiled and began to sing Leavin' on a Jetplane, just as she used to when Liz was just a baby. Elizabeth shifted herself so she could rest her head on her mother's lap, sighing contentedly as Abbey stroked her hair and sang gently. By the time the song was over, Liz had fallen asleep again.

Jed made dinner for Abbey and Ellie, putting a little more oomph than usual into chopping vegetables.

"I don't know what that carrot did to you, but is there anything I can do to help the situation?" Abbey asked.

"How's Liz doing?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"She'll be okay. It might just be a day or so, or it could be a week. We'll see how she's doing tomorrow. But I'm asking about _you_."

Jed sighed and returned to chopping. "It's nothing. Just some campaign stuff. You had a hard day, I don't need to dump all this on you."

"No way, Jethro. You don't get to not tell me things," she scolded.

"Don't call me that," he grumbled.

Abbey just stared at him, her brow raised, waiting for his response.

"Well, I still haven't finished grading those exams. And Tim's been calling me nonstop." He proceeded to explain about the anonymous letter and the snowball effect it was having on the campaign.

Abbey stood behind him as he spoke and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "Jed, you are a wonderful father. And just because we're busy, it doesn't mean the girls are being neglected at all. Liz getting sick right now does undercut my point a little, but barring events and vacations that you and I go to together, those girls have never had breakfast or dinner without at least one of us present. And it's usually both of us. And they know how much we love them and how everything we do is for them." She paused and tilted her head toward the door. "Ellie, you know we love you, right?"

"Yes, Mommy!" the little girl called back.

"There, you see?" Abbey said with a smile. "Everything will work out, babe," she promised.

Jed smiled back at her. "Yeah, I know. You wanna set the table for me?"

Abbey did as she was asked, making happy conversation with Ellie as Jed finished cooking. It was a bit strange with only the three of them at the table together. It was clear that Ellie was mildly overwhelmed by being the complete center of attention without any support or protection from her big sister.

After dinner, Abbey and Ellie spent some time alone together. Jed insisted that Abbey had earned a night without chores, despite her offer to do the dishes.

Once both girls were asleep, Jed and Abbey nearly passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

"What's on your schedule tomorrow?" Jed asked sleepily.

"I'll stay home with Liz," Abbey reasoned.

He yawned. "Okay."

And with that, the whole Bartlet house fell into a deep sleep.

Elizabeth was sick for another three days before she started to feel better. Abbey took an extra day off of work to stay home with her. And thankfully, Mrs. Wilburforce returned the day Liz was well enough to go to school again.

With the unexpected change of events and the chaos of a sick child, neither Jed nor Abbey had time to carry out any of their plans for Valentine's Day. On February thirteenth, Abbey confessed, "I was going to buy something nice and surprise you. But now with my schedule all messed up, I'll be in New York tomorrow."

"Yeah, I had all kinds of plans that I never actually made," Jed told her sadly.

An idea popped into her head. "I know! One month from today, on March thirteenth, let's have our own Valentine's Day. I'll make sure I have the day off of work, and you cancel your classes, and we can take the girls to Mrs. Landingham. Actually, I think it's a Saturday, so you won't have classes anyway." She checked her planner to confirm the date. "Yes, it's a Saturday. We can do something small for my birthday the weekend before, and we'll have that whole day and night to ourselves. How does that sound?" she asked hopefully.

Jed smiled. "That sounds like a great plan. And since it'll be a month after the holiday, everything will be cheaper, too."

Abbey laughed. "Always the prudent economist." She kissed him as she left for the airport. "I'll be home in two days this time. And now I have time to pick up the special garment I had specially ordered in New York."

His eyes went wide. "Special garment?"

"Yes," she replied with a smirk, "Special garment. Just you wait, boyfriend."

While she was in Manhattan, Abbey did her best to ignore Valentine's Day. It was everywhere, and it was strange not being with her husband, but she just reminded herself that they'd have their own private holiday in just a few weeks.

"What are you doing here!?"

Abbey looked up from the sofa to find Millie staring at her. "I have a key, Mill. I'm always here when I have shifts at the hospital," Abbey said matter-of-factly.

Millie rolled her eyes. "Yes, obviously, but it's Valentine's Day! I thought you'd be at home with Jed."

"With Liz sick, I need to make up the time I've missed. So Jed and I rescheduled."

"So does that mean you get to wear the…"

"Yes, I picked it up today," Abbey replied with a knowing grin and the slightest blush.

"Good. I was a little disappointed at the thought that all that lovely red lace wouldn't get to be ripped to shreds. Or is the other Dr. Bartlet not the ripping sort?"

"He has his moments," Abbey replied with a laugh.

Abbey got through the rest of her work days, and their Valentine's celebration didn't return to her mind for another four weeks, when Jed mentioned that he'd spoken to Mrs. Landingham about taking care of Liz and Ellie for the weekend. And all the excitement returned. Jed requested that Abbey take the girls by herself so Jed could get the house ready by the time Abbey got back. With giddy anticipation, Abbey agreed.

When she returned to their home that Saturday afternoon, Abbey found unfamiliar cars at the farm and Jed waiting near the driveway with two saddled horses.

"What's this?" she asked, intrigued.

"I thought we'd start with a ride. Dinner will be ready by the time we get back."

"What do you mean by that?"

Jed chuckled. "If you must know, I've hired a private chef to prepare our meal. But that's for later. Right now, we're going to go for a ride in the snow. Which mount would you like?" he asked.

Abbey beamed. They didn't usually ride when it was this cold, as Jed wasn't much of a fan of riding to begin with, but there was something about the harsh bite of the brisk air that Abbey secretly loved. "I'll take Tudor," she replied, taking the reins to the enormous black Arabian.

Jed mounted Windsor, the slightly smaller pinto, and they were off. Truth be told, Jed didn't love riding horses. He'd learned as a boy, having spent so much time at the Bartlet farm when visiting his grandfather. Abbey had wanted to learn when they were engaged, so he'd taught her the best he could. And she'd fallen in love with it. So he'd become a much more active equestrian over the years, if only to see that exhilarated look on her face. It didn't hurt, of course, that she always got strangely turned on after they went horseback riding. Something about feeling alive, she'd said once. Whatever it was, it was worth the sore back Jed always got from sitting in that damn saddle.

After their ride through the orchard, getting nearly soaked through from the snow flying in the wake of the galloping horses, Jed and Abbey put the horses back in the stable. As if on cue, Abbey interrupted Jed from removing Windsor's bridle by planting a hard, sensuous kiss on his mouth.

He blinked when she pulled away, slightly stunned. "I take it that's a taste of things to come?"

"Oh you have no idea," she teased.

They came into the house to find the candlelit meal laid out for them in the formal dining room. Despite their casual attire, it felt very decadent, especially when the violinist began to play.

Jed and Abbey talked and laughed and flirted all through dinner. The serenade set just the right mood. And with almost no makeup, flat hair, and old jeans, Abbey felt beautiful. Beautiful and loved and desired.

There was a certain look in Abbey's eye that Jed knew very well. He subtly waved the violinist away. "How about we have dessert upstairs?"

Abbey's nose wrinkled as she smiled excitedly. "Why don't you get some champagne and whatever dessert you planned and I'll go get that special garment?"

"I like the way you think, Dr. Bartlet."

"Why thank you, Professor Bartlet," Abbey replied. She stood up from the table and hurried upstairs.

When Jed came into their bedroom, he was greeted by dozens of flickering candles—all of which he'd set up earlier and Abbey had taken the cue to light—and piles of rose petals on the bed. And standing beside the bed, seductively leaned against the footboard, was Abbey.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at her. She wore a deep red negligee, cut low with a high slit up the side. It looked like silk with lace trim, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on it.

"Don't drop the champagne glasses," Abbey warned, "They were expensive."

Jed was jolted back to reality. "I…yeah."

"Would you pour me a glass, please? We can eat the chocolate cake later, but I'd like some champagne now, if it's not too much trouble."

"It's…no it's…" he stammered.

Abbey grinned proudly. Yes, this was exactly what she'd had in mind.

Once he was focused on something else and not staring directly at her, he was able to open the bottle with a loud _pop_. He poured two glasses of bubbly and handed one to her. "To us," he murmured, clinking glasses with her before taking a sip.

"To us," she agreed. After a few swallows, she put the glass down on the nearby dresser. "Now, you are far too over-dressed."

"Would you mind?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Only if you keep your hands to yourself until I say otherwise," she dared.

He liked this game. "Deal."

Abbey took her time unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it from his pants, pushing it off his shoulders, letting her hands trail down the front of his chest before undoing his belt buckle. It took all of Jed's self-control to follow her instructions and not touch her. The feel of her fingers on his skin and the agonizing pace at which she was working was almost too much. When she unzipped his fly, that was all he could take. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her silky form tight against his bare torso and kissed her. Abbey tangled her fingers in his hair, urging him on. She was happy to cede control at this point. The special garment had its desired effect. And both Jed and Abbey got exactly what they wanted and needed. Their minds were focused only on the pleasure they brought each other all through the night. Nothing else mattered, just Jed and Abbey coming together as they were meant to be.

It wasn't until right around Ellie's birthday, almost three months later, that Abbey realized that they'd conceived on that night, the Valentine's Day they'd created themselves, that night of that special garment.


End file.
